Abyss of Cenote

For many decades a lake was present in the depression you see here in the photograph. Then in 1994 some divers hiked up the mountain to take a closer look at the lake only to find that it had disappeared! Subsequent investigation revealed a giant cave 285m deep with a large ice plug in the entrance, that for many years had prevented the wonders that lie beneath from being discovered. Pictured here, two explorers return to the surface after a ten-hour trip underground to rig the ropes inside the cave for the remainder of the expedition members.